I’ve been talking with a lot of folks who just feel plain crazy!
Of course, they describe the disruptions they are experiencing due to Covid-19 or the social unrest related to Black Lives Matter and the upcoming election as the obvious causes of their emotional lability. I often wind up reassuring people that their confusion is justified, “righteous confusion”, I tell them is a fair way to be in the world these days.
In last week’s Resilient Wednesday on Overcoming Conspiracy Thinking, I talked about the idea of “promotion focused” thinking where we consider ways to plan and act on what we want our future to be.
Another action we can take in the face of an expanding world that requires us to take in and process more information than we might be able to handle is to narrow our focus onto something smaller.
One of my friends decided to take an old bedroom in her house and redecorate it as an office space for her to work in. She and her family were all involved repainting, redecorating, and helping order new furniture. My wife, Sheila, spent a lot of time in her garden this summer but also managed to take her old dance studio in the basement and convert it into a Zoom video production studio with professional lighting, cameras and sound. “Lights, Camera, Action!”
As we move through these next few months, we can all find ways to ground ourselves and our families by making our world a bit smaller. Consider how to get away from it all. Perhaps it’s reading a classic that’s been put off since high school. Maybe it is taking on a new hobby that will get the mind focused on something new and personally important. Helping a son or daughter strengthen their soccer or basketball skills are more than a distraction; they are an opportunity to get a break from it all and get back to what is really important.
There will plenty of time to still take on the big issues going on in our world and just maybe, we’ll be able to take them on without feeling too crazy about them all.
Events and Happenings
Resilient Mindfulness: Tonight, September 16, 2020 at 7 PM-7:40 PM
Connecting with our Creative Selves.
How do we spark creativity? Does it come from gathering all available information and then letting our prefrontal computer cortex run the numbers or does it come from taking all those facts and then tossing them up in the air and seeing what comes down. Join us as we explore another Resilient Mindfulness focused on creativity. You can sign up here
